While the exact economics are unknown, Jennifer McDonald, president of the Licking County Chamber of Commerce, said the wedding business probably generates millions of dollars annually in the area.

“Because of the trickledown effect of dollars,” she said, “it’s really hard to pinpoint.”

“But I would say,” McDonald added, “most people underestimate the economic impact the wedding industry brings to Licking County.”

They may also underestimate all the changes in wedding/reception trends in the past few years. Observations vary but some veteran workers in the industry say things such as size, style and location have all changed – sort of.

“The big thing I’ve really noticed is called country chic,” said Chase Merriam, the operations manager for the past 15 years at Main Events Party & Event Rental in Newark. “It started 5 years ago. Most trends fall off in 5 years, but it seems to be getting bigger and bigger.”

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Wedding season is underway at the Bryn Du Mansion. Each weekend they have multiple weddings booked throughout the summer months.(Photo11: Jessica Phelps/The Advocate)

“Farm tables are the big thing,” he clarified, again referring to receptions. “People want the old look, using burlap for instance. And a lot of people are just doing straw bales at the reception, things like that. It’s not necessarily cheap to go that route, but that’s the look everybody wants.”

Athena Koehler, the events coordinator at Bryn Du Mansion in Granville, has likewise observed, “We’ve seen a lot of straw, we’ve seen a lot of burlap, we’ve seen lots of Mason jars.”

“Country chic has been very much the trend for the past 5 or 6 years,” she added, “but that trend seems to be waning. They’re now doing more vintage chic. They like that country feel but they’re kind of classing it up a bit.”

The location and style of many of those weddings/receptions have changed as well. “The Bryn Du Mansion is still one of the more popular places,” Merriam said. “But a lot of people around here use the FOP Lodge and that type of thing. There are also a couple barns in the Thornville area.”

“Plus,” he added, “a lot of people are now doing their reception in their backyard.”

Still, Merriam is right about the more traditional venues like the Bryn Du Mansion. “We’re booked pretty much every weekend from May to November,” Koehler confirmed. “We usually do two weddings a weekend, one in the mansion and one in the fieldhouse.”

And then there’s size and food choices. “Five years ago,” Merriam said, “it seemed like weddings were 400 or 500 people. Now, it’s more popular to see 120 or 160 people.”

At Bryn Du Mansion, Koehler said the average size wedding is probably 150 to 250. But, she added, “last year we probably had four or five weddings over 350.”

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Wedding season is underway at the Bryn Du Mansion. Each weekend they have multiple weddings booked throughout the summer months.(Photo11: Jessica Phelps/The Advocate)

At the Granville Inn, they even have a more intimate wedding package for smaller groups. “We have a lot of people who come to us with only 20 or 30 people,” said Chef Chad Lavely. “Maybe it’s a second marriage, or they just don’t want to spend their savings on a huge function. It’s just another trend we’re seeing – a smaller, more intimate affair.”

And food? “The food is kind of going that same route,” Merriam said. “I got married 6 years ago and we just did macaroni n’ cheese and pulled pork, and that’s very popular now. And people aren’t really doing a lot of big, elaborate cakes anymore. It seems to be going toward cupcakes and that type of thing.”

“A lot of cupcakes!” Koehler stressed. “Sometimes they’ll have a little cake to cut but the four-tier deal has gone bye-bye. And we even had one where they had pie.”

“Cookie tables are also big,” Koehler added. “We do cookie tables that may have 3,000 cookies on them.”

Plus, added Misti Fenneman of Creative Catering in Hebron, “We see a lot of people who want to have build-your-own bars, like a pasta bar, a taco bar, a salad bar. It seems those are becoming more and more popular.”

Even at venues considered more traditional like the Granville Inn, “it seems a third of the people want to go a little more casual,” Lavely said. “The other two-thirds come to the Granville Inn because they’re looking for something more traditional. So the bulk of our business is still a traditional dinner, whether it’s a buffet or a served meal.”

Despite all the changes, there is at least one constant according to Russ Griffin of Griffin’s Floral Design in Pataskala. “Greenery is in right now,” he said, “but roses are still, hands-down, the number one flower in a wedding.”

And, Koehler added, there’s another constant amidst all the change. “People are still getting married,” she concluded. “And they’re still doing a lot of traditional things.”

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Mary Harter, who works at Griffen's Floral Design in Pataskala, puts the finishing touches on a vase of flowers for an upcoming weekend wedding. (Photo11: Jessica Phelps/The Advocate)